Railroad signaling.



F. P. J. PATENALL.

RAILROAD SIGNALING. APPLIGATION FILED JULY 15, 1910. RENEWED APR. 17, 1914.

1,1 17,899. Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

wumm area FRANK P. J". PATENALL, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

RAILROAD SIGNALING.

Application filed July 15, 1910, Serial No. 572,142.

To all 107mmit may concern Be it known that I, FRANK P. J. PATEN- ALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Signaling; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in signals for controlling the running of railway trains and is particularly applicable to those systems making use of semaphore arms or signal blades which by their position indicate to the engineer of the train track conditions ahead, or which govern the running of the train.

In signaling systems as now employed there is a material limitation to the information which may be imparted to the engi neer by the positioning of the signal or semaphore arms and considerable confusion has arisen because of the impracticability of making the signals of automatic and nanua] control systems uniform in their indications.

A further confusion and source of danger is found to exist in present systems because of the liability of mistaking contiguous lights for the signal lights in night operation of trains, this danger being accentuated by the fact that in most of the present signaling systems the clear night indication is given by a white light which substantially corresponds in appearance to the light given by ordinary illuminating means or lanterns such are are used about railway stations and populous centers through which the track may run.

The present invention has for its object to overcome many of the objections found to exist in railway signaling systems as at present in use, and while in some respects it conforms thereto, yet in its major aspects it differs very widely therefrom, more especially in regard to the possibility of conveying accurate and unmistakable information of widely varying character to the engineer and in overcoming the liability of dangerous error either through the false reading of the signals or of the accidental or unintentional operation of the signals through accident or breakage.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Renewed April 17, 1914. Serial No. 832,633.

The invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of the parts of the signaling apparatus, and in certain novel and arbitrary positioning of the signaling members whereby errors through breakage or false or incorrect reading of the signals are necessarily on the side of the safety.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figures 1 to t, inclusive, are elevations of a semaphore support, and semaphore arm, constructed in accordance with and embodying the mechanical features of the present invention, the semaphore arm being shown in various positions to which it may be moved to convey the desired information to the engineers of running trains.

In said drawings, the letter A indicates a semaphore support which may be in the form of an ordinary mast having upon its upper end a semaphore bearing or bracket B. Journaled in the bracket at one side of the mast is the casting or spectacle frame D. The mast also carries means for supporting a lamp or light at C, with which the roundels E, E E will register when the spectacle casting is swung upwardly around its axis Gr.

Attached to the spectacle casting D is a semaphore arm F, the construction and relative position of the casting and semaphore arm F being such that either the casting alone or the casting arm will gravitate to a pendent position below the axis with the arm substantially vertical, as shown in Fig. 1. In any other position of the casting and arm the predominance of both weight and exposed area is transversely removed from the vertical plane of the axis and, consequently, gravity acting upon the casting and arm as well as upon accumulations of snow or ice thereon, will always tend to move said parts down to the position shown in Fig. 1, where the arm is substantially vertical and below the axis. lVith this object in view it will be noted that the casting and arm are not rotated upwardly beyond an inclined position above the horizontal, as shown, for instance, in Fig. 4.

The roundels are arranged in a segmental series in the casting and those shown are adapted to contain colored glass, as for instance, the roundel E may contain yellow glass; F green glass, and E red glass, but when in normal position pendent below the axis the light G is exposed above the casting or shows a white light, and this condition should be maintained even though additional roundels are exployed, in which case the roundel in front of the light, when the casting and arm are pendent, should con tain only clear glass.

The position of the semaphore arm with respect to the casting and axis on which the casting and arm are pivoted is important in the attainment of the objects herein sought, and it will be noted that said arm projects beyond the casting in a line which is substantially parallel with a line which would intersect the axis and the intermediate roundel or which would intersect the axis and substantially the center of gravity of the casting and it is obvious that if this relative angle of the arm with respect to the casting be preserved the location of the arm on the casting is not of prime importance as said arm may be displaced bodily in one direction or the other as preferred by any particular engineer or company making use of the signal, but the location of the arm, as shown, on the end of the casting away from the support is preferred, as it then hangs parallel with the support but removed therefrom sufficiently far to present a distinct appearance.

In accordance with the present invention the semaphore arm when in its vertical pendent position below the axis indicates danger or that the train must be brought to a standstill, thus, the stop position of the arm, as shown in Fig. 1 is contrary to signals now in use where the vertical position of the arm indicates proceed or track clear. From the position shown in Fig. l, the arm is swung upto the position shown in Fig. 2, 2'. 6., diagonal below the horizontal to indicate proceed with great caution or to a horizontal position, shown in Fig. 8, to indicate proceed with caution prepared to stop at next signal, or to a position diagonally above the horizontal, as shown in Fig. 4, to indicate that all restrictions are removed and that the train may proceed at highest speed.

In all positions of the casting and blade when swung away from the safe or pendent position below the axis, the preponderance of weight and exposed surface is transversely at one side of the axis and consequently any accident such as the breakage of stops, failure of operating mechanism, etc, can only result in a restoration of the parts to stop position. The running instructions are all conveyed by positive angular positioning of the arm, the restrictions on the running of the trains being successively removed by successive positions upwardly from the pendent position, thus failure of operating connections for any position can only result in a position of the arm imposing greater restrictions on the running of the train and, consequently, greater safety necessarily results. Failure to receive running instructions by the angular positioning of the arm above the vertical, means that the train must be brought to a stop and consequently even the entire clestruction of the blade would result in stopping the train and no accident could occur such as has occurred in present practice where the engineer, failing to see any signal, properly presumed that it is in vertical or clear position down beside the support.

For night work and contrary to ordinary practice a white light indicates stop, thus, if error be made by confusion of the signal light with adjacent lights, it can only result in bringing the train to a stop.

For indicating the successive removal of restrictions on the running of the trains the roundels brought successively in front of the light are preferably of colors which are of successively increasing distinctive value. The red which is of the highest distinctive value indicates that all restrictions are removed; green that some restrictions are imposed, and yellow that the greatest caution must be exercised or that the engineer must be prepared to stop within the range of vision.

The roundels or colored lights in the spectacle casting give positive information similar to that of the semaphore arm, thus when in the 45 position above the horizontal, a red glass is interposed. before the it light, while in the horizontal position a green glass may be interposed and in the 45 position below the horizontal a yellow glass may be interposed. Obviously, the colors of the roundels taken in connection with the posif tions of the semaphore arm is of considerable importance, for it 1s lntended by sald colors to nnpart to the engineer positive mformation for night running, and to inform him that no restrictions are imposed,

a color of the highest indicating value, such as red, should be employed, especially as such color is not likely to be confused with surrounding or adjacent lights and as restrictions are imposed upon the running of,

the train the colors of the light may be of less and. less indicating value proportionally to the restrictions imposed, for as restrictions are imposed the less danger there is of an accident occurrlng, through failure of the engineer to hold the train in proper control.

In the present invention it will be noted that the stop indication instead of being a 7 horizontal position, as in ordinary practice, is a vertical position pendent below the axis of the semaphore arm, whereby the maximum safety is secured. This is the position of the signal assumed under the influence of gravity, even though all stops or counterweights or other controlling means should be eliminated, and is logically the position where the signal should indicate stop No load which may accumulate upon the casting or blade can by any possibility cause the same to assume a position where it will give running instructions but will invariably tend to move the signal to a position indicating that the train must be brought to a standstill and the same is true even though the blade and casting be broken off, for without positive running instructions indicated by the angular position of the blade an engineer is not authorized to proceed beyond the signal, and if he does so he is proceeding without instructions.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

l. The combination with a semaphore support, of a spectacle casting pivotally mounted on said support projecting on one side of its axis and adapted to move by gravity to a pendent position below its axis, a semaphore arm held by the casting and extending downwardly in substantially vertical position when the casting is pendent, the preponderance of both weight and exposed surface of both the casting and arm being on the same side of the axis when the arm is in any position other than its pendent vertical position, whereby the force of gravity and any accumulation of snow or ice on either the casting or blade always tend to return the arm to pendent vertical position.

2. The combination with a semaphore support, of a spectacle casting pivotally mounted on the support and projecting on one side of its axis whereby it will move by gravity to a pendent position, and a semaphore arm secured to and projecting on the same side of the axis beyond the casting substantially parallel with a line passing through the axis and center of gravity of the casting.

3. The combination with a semaphore support, and a spectacle casting pivotally mounted on the support, projecting on one side of its axis and having a plurality of roundels therein, of a semaphore arm secured to and projecting on the same side of the axis beyond the casting substantially parallel with a line intersecting the pivotal axis of the casting and center of an intermediate roundel, whereby the preponder ance of weight and exposed surface of both the casting and arm will be at one side of the axis and accumulations of ice or snow on the casting or arm will tend to move the same into vertical or danger position below the axis.

at. The combination with a semaphore support and a spectacle casting having roundels therein, said casting being pivotally mounted on the support, and projecting at one side of the axis and movable about said axis in an are greater than 90, of a semaphore arm secured to said casting and projecting downwardly in vertical position when the casting is pendent below the axis and projecting diagonally upward when the casting is swung to its highest position, the center of gravity of both the casting and arm and thepreponderance of exposed surface being on one side of the axis when the casting is in its highest position.

FRANK P. J. PATENALL. \Vitnesses G. H. DRYDEN, F. MCGEENEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

